The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/114745
π W write words His Solution Lies Within the Words By Kristin Boudreau, Associate Dean, Humanities & Arts W HEN NED ROWE '61 returned to campus for his 50th class reunion, the former civil engineering major stopped by the Humanities and Arts ofƂce to offer a complaint—and a gift. As a Ƃrst year student, Ned had placed out of the freshman writing class (once required of WPI students)—he'd been told his writing was advanced enough that he didn't need the course. He felt the loss later in life, he said, as he took on an impressive array of jobs in engineering, sales, management, marketing, strategic planning, and leadership training. In all these positions, he rediscovered the importance of strong and effective communication skills. Whether lobbying for resources within a broader organization or trying to convey technical details of a project to a co-worker, he regretted the absence of formal course work in writing. He continues to believe that formal writing instruction should be required of all WPI students. You don't need to talk with Ned Rowe for long before realizing he's motivated as much by his love for surprise and adventure as by hard-nosed practicality; indeed, his life has been shaped by his many serendipitous, and even eccentric, choices. While working on a master's degree in structural engineering at MIT, he took an additional course at Harvard in the politics of the Middle East, simply because it appealed to him. After earning his graduate degree, he found himself in London with WPI classmate Jim Kachadorian. Perhaps because of his experience in that Harvard course, he talked his friend into directing a 10-week trip toward Istanbul. When Jim departed for the U.S., Ned bought a round-the-world airplane ticket, which led him to Pakistan for a month. Ned earned an MBA from Stanford and changed jobs almost compulsively every few years; his employment history includes work in Saudi Arabia as well as the American west and southeast. A late marriage brought him two children, who have recently graduated from college and seem to have inherited his wanderlust and his intellectual curiosity. Rowe and classmate Jim Kachadorian reconnect at their 50th Reunion. He recalls with amusement the words of his mother, who warned him that he would "never be satisƂed" as an engineer. Yet, he's enjoyed an outstanding career as an engineer, project manager, and CEO coach—and he's kept young and agile by his restless curiosity. "I've gone to great lengths to broaden myself," he says. When considering the WPI Plan, which was implemented after he left WPI, Ned believes that the "worst part" of his own WPI curriculum is now gone: the "never-ending rote labs" that were required of all students. But he insists that writing instruction should be part of the Plan. That's his complaint. As for the gift? The study of writing is so important to Ned that he's leaving WPI a $50,000 bequest in his will to support writing instruction. While browsing through an issue of Transformations, he considered the question posed by the Annual Fund ofƂce: "What is the next great problem that will be solved?" And he reƃected on his career and the many occasions when his job required him to communicate the "options, beneƂts, and perils of not taking a particular course of action." In every case, he recalls, his success in doing his job depended on how well he could communicate these elements to another person. He believes that WPI's writing program should be supported in its efforts to help students communicate more effectively. "I always knew I had an excellent technical education," he says. And now with his gift, he will help WPI match that technical education with strong instruction in communication. Ned Rowe's realization comes at a timely moment for WPI. A steering committee of faculty, led by associate teaching professor Lorraine Higgins, has piloted a program to offer writingintensive courses in different disciplines. To date, 15 faculty members in seven disciplines have taught writing-intensive courses; student transcripts will soon indicate which courses are writing-intensive. The academic deans of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Business have given Ƃnancial support to the program, which Higgins hopes will eventually include writingintensive courses in every major at WPI. Ned invites his fellow alumni—in particular, his fraternity brothers from Phi Kappa Theta— to join his effort to expand WPI's writing program. If you are interested in supporting the Arts and Humanities at WPI, and especially Writing Across the Curriculum, contact Kristin Boudreau (kboudreau@wpi.edu) or Audrey Klein-Leach (akleinleach@wpi.edu) to discuss current initiatives. Winter 2013 21